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A PhD in ethnobotany

Rebekah Fuller, University of Hawaii PhD student, talks about her current research. Rebekah is interested in the traditional uses of fungi and how knowledge of these uses spread throughout the Pacific.

Transcript

REBEKAH FULLER I did some research in the Cook Islands this year, and so I am writing up about the use of fungi in broader terms in Polynesia, because I was really interested in the fact that, you know, Māori have this body of knowledge about fungi. Now, where did it come from? And I thought, well did they bring it with them or was it something that they kind of built on when the got here? It’s another reason why I really like ethnobotany, because it’s science, but then you also have that people factor as well. I really like looking at communities but I also just really love talking to people about the use of natural resources. The way that they look at the world, and the way they use things, and the reasons behind it, and the mythology, and everything about it I just really, really enjoy. I'm really passionate about talking to people about the environment and how they use it.